


A Bridge for the King

by aserenitatum



Series: Unconnected AUs [1]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Taboo AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-19 01:56:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14864474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aserenitatum/pseuds/aserenitatum
Summary: the one where they found love in a forbidden place





	A Bridge for the King

**Author's Note:**

> full disclosure, you're going to meet a character called Anna. That's basically Kommissar. I just can't honestly believe that that's her name and I can't take myself seriously if I use that name in the fic.

She’s not sure exactly what happens, but one minute she’s fine and the next she’s on the floor, and she has the brief thought that maybe she shouldn’t have refused that bottle of water earlier before everything goes dark. 

She wakes up in the whitest room she’s been in since arriving in Jeddah and she winces at the brightness of the sterile room.  

Groaning softly, she lifts a hand to cover her eyes because just closing them doesn’t seem to be enough to drown out the light.  

“Welcome back Ms. Conrad,” a soft voice says.  

Stacie frowns, realising that she’s going to have to open her eyes to find the source of the voice, but then the voice says, “Don’t sit up just yet,” and Stacie decides to stay as she is.  

“Okay,” Stacie says, has to clear her dry throat. “Am I dead?”  

There’s a soft chuckle. “No.”  

“Are you sure?”  

“Yes, I’m sure.”  

“Why is everything so bright?” Stacie groans when she tries to open her eyes again.  

“Because you probably have a headache. You hit your head when you fainted,” the voice says and pauses. “How is that?”  

Stacie tries opening her eyes again and it doesn’t hurt as much this time, the lights a lot more dimmed than they had been before. She blinks slowly, tries to orient herself to her surroundings.  

“Better, thank you,” Stacie says, licks her dry lips. She lifts her arm, sees the IV line going into her arm and follows the line to find several bags of liquid attached to a metal pole. She shimmies her arm a little to confirm that those are the bags connected to her blood supply and she smiles. “Party.”  

There’s a chuckle from her left and she turns to the sound, surprised to find a blonde woman sitting at the desk, looking at a computer screen.  

The woman glances sideways, and when she notices Stacie is looking at her, she gets up with a small smile, grabs a clipboard from her desk and walks over to Stacie.  

“I’m going to ask you some questions and give you some problems to solve. Please try to answer as best you can,” the woman says and Stacie nods.  

“What is your full name?”  

“Anastasia Iria Conrad.”  

“What year are we in?”  

“2018.”  

“What season are we in?”  

“Isn’t it always summer here?” Stacie says, grins at the doctor who shoots her an exasperated look. “Spring.”  

“What month are we in?”  

“March.”  

“What date is it today?”  

“The 24th? Or the 25th? I’m not sure. It’s Tuesday,” Stacie says, frowning as she tries to remember.  

“That’s okay,” the woman says with a smile. “What country are we in?”  

“Saudi Arabia.”  

“What city are we in?”  

“Jeddah.”  

“What area are we in?”  

“K-Met.”  

“K-Met?” the doctor asks, arches an eyebrow.  

“King’s Metropolis of Economy and Trade,” Stacie answers drolly.  

“What is the name of this building?”  

“I don’t know what building I’ve been kidnapped to,” Stacie quips and the doctor tries not to encourage her, but Stacie can see the corners of the woman’s mouth tug upwards in amusement. 

“Ms. Conrad…”  

“I don’t know, are we in the same building I fainted?” The doctor nods. “Then it’s the fancy big building in K-Met.”  

“I guess I can accept ‘fancy big building’ as a correct answer,” the doctor says with a chuckle and marks something on the clipboard. 

“Why are you asking me all these questions?”  

“I need to make sure you don’t have a concussion.”  

“I thought you were just flirting with me, doc,” Stacie says with a grin and the woman seems a little surprised so Stacie’s expression drops. “Oh, god, I’m so sorry, that was so inappropriate.”  

“It’s okay, Ms. Conrad,” the woman says. “Don’t worry about it.”  

“Still, I’m sorry, doctor…” Stacie pauses, realises she doesn’t know the woman’s name.  

“Posen.”  

“Doctor Posen,” she says with a small smile. “Is this going to cost me points on my test?” Stacie teases, tries to lighten the mood even though the blonde is smiling softly.  

“It’s not a graded test,” the doctor says with amusement. “But I do need to continue.”  

“Okay, yeah, sure, go ahead.”  

 

* * *

 

“Hey!” Anna says when she sees Stacie, smiles widely. “Oh, you look like shit.”  

“Thank you!” Stacie says sarcastically. “You Germans know just what to say to make a girl feel good.”  

The blonde laughs loudly.  

“Be nice to me,” she says, leans in close to Stacie. “I am inviting you to a party.”  

“What?” Stacie asks, almost drops her coffee in surprise. “Why?”  

“Ah, _schatzi_ , because you are deserving of a good time,” Anna says sympathetically, clapping Stacie on the shoulder. “It is at the embassy, tonight.”  

“You’re serious?” Stacie asks in surprise, dropping her voice to a whisper and leaning in close, “How?”  

“Some of us have been here for a year, you did not think we were all being celibate and sober, did you?”  

Stacie stares at her with excitement, eyes wide with surprise as she realises the full extent of the words.  

“It is, how do you Americans call it, a rager?”  

Stacie smiles widely in disbelief and happiness. “And I’m invited?”  

“Tell nobody,” Anna says strongly and Stacie nods in understanding. “Come to the German embassy after nine o’clock. When they ask for a name, tell them Katrin Kauffman.”  

“I think I’m in love with you, Anna,” Stacie says gratefully and the blonde laughs loudly as she walks away.  

 

* * *

 

She’s not quite sure what to expect when she gets to the German embassy. Sure, Anna had said it was going to be a rager, but they were still in Saudi Arabia and it was still at an embassy.  

She gives the name at the door through an intercom and the front gate buzzes open, just enough for her to slip through and as she walks further into the building she realises that Anna had vastly understated how much of a rager this party was going to be.  

She’s handed a shot of honey-flavoured vodka that she tries to refuse but the woman holding the tray stares at her pointedly so she downs the shot in one, coughs as the liquor burns her throat. She walks around the packed rooms, the smoke and laser and strobe lights making it look like a real nightclub. She turns a corner and suddenly finds a pool full of half-naked people, and everywhere she turns, there’s somebody doing something that’s slightly illegal in general and  _definitely_ illegal in this country.  

She tries to find Anna as she squeezes through the crowd — where did all these people come from, anyway? — and she’s relaxing for the first time since she arrived in Jeddah. She finally finds the bar, grinning in disbelief when she sees that the bartender is dressed head to toe in leather. She’s not entirely convinced this _isn’t_ a dream, so when the bartender says something to her in German, she just nods her head and a few minutes later there’s a drink in her hand.  

She’s considering where to go next, turns away from a guy literally doing cocaine on the glassy surface of the bar when she’s suddenly shoved to the side. She yelps and jumps out of the way to avoid being pushed again, and when she turns there’s a blonde woman sitting on the bar, another woman lifting the blonde’s shirt up over her head before pushing her to lay down, and Stacie can’t look away from the smooth, toned abs as the bartender pours liquid onto her, the woman’s stomach dipping in response to the cold. The second woman laps up the alcohol, trails her tongue all the way up between the blonde’s breast before finally kissing eagerly waiting lips.  

Stacie follows the trail that the woman’s tongue took, a flash of heat going through her as she lingers on breasts encased in black lace, but when she finally looks away, follows the trail, she freezes at the sight of the blonde woman hungrily kissing the second woman.  

The second woman pulls away after a while, and Stacie watches with rapt attention as the blonde licks her lips with a smile, lets the second woman walk away.  

The bartender helps her sit up and she smiles, throws a quick “Thanks Jonas” over her shoulder as she pulls her shirt on, but Stacie’s so distracted by the view that she forgets to look away, to act discreet and when the woman hops down, she starts to turn back towards the bartender and her eyes stop when she meets Stacie’s heated ones.  

She smiles, gaze raking down Stacie’s body hotly before looking back up, a mysterious expression on her face as she steps closer.  

“Ms. Conrad,” she says with a wolfish smile.  

“Doctor Posen,” she answers, voice thick.  

The woman laughs, shakes her head. “Call me Aubrey.”  

“Call me Stacie.”  

Aubrey offers her hand and Stacie stares down at it with an adorably confused expression but shakes the woman’s hand.  

“Nice to meet you,” Aubrey says, pressing close to Stacie.  

“So you _were_  flirting with me,” Stacie says and Aubrey laughs.  

“I was not, but I am now,” she answers coyly and Stacie mirrors her expression. “You know that’s not good for you after a head injury,” Aubrey says then, points to the drink in Stacie’s hand.  

“Whatever you say, doc,” Stacie teases, leans in close and Aubrey licks her lips, but all Stacie does is put her drink on the bar behind Aubrey.  

“So you’re just going to do what I tell you to?” Aubrey says and Stacie can’t help but smile when the woman reaches out to play with a lock of Stacie’s hair.  

“Within reason.”  

Stacie leans in and kisses her then and Aubrey responds eagerly, pushing up against Stacie’s body and kissing her back. Stacie’s hand curls around her hip to keep her close and Aubrey reaches up to cup Stacie’s neck, but before she gets too far Stacie sees the light glint off of two rings on Aubrey’s finger and she pulls away in surprise, reaching up to hold the blonde’s hand as she inspects the rings.  

“You’re married?” she asks a little too loudly.  

“I’m gay,” Aubrey says, as if that should be an answer enough, tries to lean in for another kiss but Stacie steps away.  

“Those two aren’t mutually exclusive.”  

“They are in this country,” Aubrey says, frowning softly as she pulls back her hand, a little insulted.  

Stacie sighs but pins her down with a look.  

“I’m single,” Aubrey confirms with an exasperated eye roll.  

“So why the rings?”  

“Because this is KSA and being a single woman in her thirties is frowned upon,” Aubrey explains quickly, twists to reach for the drink that Stacie had placed on the bar and taking a sip from it. “Plus the King gets a little insulted when you’re a single woman who refuses to marry one of his many sons.”  

That makes Stacie falter, her eyes going wide as she looks impressed.  

“You know the King?”  

“He and my dad went to college together,” Aubrey says with a shrug, wave of the hand to show it’s not really important but Stacie is still a little amazed.  

“So why won’t you marry one of his sons?”  

“Because I don’t want to live here forever?” Aubrey counters.  

“Why do you live here in the first place?” Stacie asks.  

“Why do you live here?” Aubrey shoots back. 

“I don’t, I’m on a temporary contract,” Stacie says and Aubrey’s face falls.  

“How long are you here for?”  

“Three months,” Stacie says. “You?”  

Aubrey shrugs. “However long I want. I’ve been here for four years.”  

“Four years?!” Stacie asks loudly, pulls away in surprise.  

“It pays well,” Aubrey says with another shrug but Stacie shoots her a disbelieving look. “Do you have any idea how much money I’m making?”  

“But you’re gay and you have to hide that,” Stacie points out, still confused by the whole situation but then Aubrey’s looking at her mysteriously, smiling coyly as she licks her lips.  

“What do you think I’m doing at this party?” she says, lifts the glass to take a sip as she watches Stacie process her words and grin.  

“Letting beautiful women lick your stomach?” Stacie says teasingly and Aubrey steps closer, slides her hand along Stacie’s shirt-clad stomach before reaching the hem and slipping her hand under the fabric, touching Stacie’s skin.  

“Sometimes I like doing the licking too,” Aubrey says and Stacie kisses her again, swallows the blonde’s giggle as she nips at her lower lip.  

 

* * *

 

“Ms. Conrad?”  

She looks up sharply at the voice, tries not to smile too widely.  

“Come with me please,” Aubrey says and Stacie follows her to an examination room.  

Aubrey holds the door open and lets Stacie step through the doorway, and when she does Aubrey carefully brushes her fingers along Stacie’s elbow as she passes her. Stacie looks down with a smile but doesn’t push further, hopping onto the examination bed.

“So I got your test results back and there is nothing wrong with you. You’re perfectly healthy,” Aubrey says, looking over some paperwork so she misses Stacie’s small grin.  

“Are you sure?”  

“Everything came back clear, so your fainting spell wasn’t caused by anything serious. Probably dehydration,” Aubrey says, flipping the pages back in the file and looking up at Stacie.  

“That’s strange…” Stacie mutters and Aubrey’s eyebrows knit together. “I haven’t been feeling so great.”  

“Can you describe your symptoms?” Aubrey asks, clicking her pen and ready to take notes.  

“I’m not sure, but I feel really warm sometimes, like all over my body, and I also get light-headed and my heart starts racing and my stomach feels, I don’t know, like fluttery?” Stacie describes, cheeky grin on her face.  

Aubrey doesn’t say anything, tries to suppress a smile as she looks down at her blank notes, pen hovering over the page.  

“It happens a lot at night,” Stacie adds and Aubrey finally looks up at her, arching an eyebrow.  

“At night?” she confirms and Stacie nods. “That’s not good at all.”  

“Exactly. What’s wrong with me, doc?” Stacie says, still grinning widely.  

“I don’t know. I can’t exactly make a diagnosis if it only happens at night,” Aubrey says, playing along as she lowers the clipboard to her side.  

“How can we solve this?”  

“I’ll tell you what,” Aubrey starts, pulls a business card out of the front pocket of her lab coat and turns it over, scribbles something on the back. “When you feel these symptoms I want you to call me.”  

“Anytime?” Stacie asks, taking the card.  

“Day or night,” Aubrey says with a coy smile.  

 

* * *

 

“I was thinking…” Aubrey starts, tone coy and Stacie’s body is already humming in anticipation. “You have these symptoms almost every night.”  

“Yeah?” Stacie urges.  

“So it might be easier if I could monitor your health over a few days.”  

“Are you suggesting we spend a weekend together?” Stacie asks, bites her lip to calm down her excitement.  

“Yes,” Aubrey whispers tentatively. “If you want to.”  

“I’d love to,” Stacie murmurs, holds the phone closer to her ear as if listening more closely will help her picture Aubrey’s sweet smile better.  

Aubrey breathes a sigh of relief. “I’ll send a car to pick you up Thursday afternoon.”  

“Perfect,” Stacie breathes, smiling. “I’m really looking forward to this.”  

“So am I,” Aubrey whispers and Stacie’s eyes slide closed as she basks in the sound of Aubrey’s voice. “Oh, and Stacie?”  

“Yeah?”  

“Pack a swimsuit.”  

 

* * *

 

She’s been in the car for almost an hour and she’s starting to get antsy, concerned that she’d gotten in the wrong car despite the fact that the driver had referred to her by her full name.  

They finally turn left off the long, seemingly unending road down a sand road that Stacie would never have noticed on her own, and while the road winds down through small valleys she can finally see the brilliant blue water of the Red Sea.  

They drive past an open gate and a few minutes later the car pulls up outside a small beach house. The front door opens and Aubrey steps out and Stacie has to work really hard to suppress her smile as the driver steps out and opens Stacie’s door.  

“Motashakr awi, Youssef,” Aubrey says with a polite smile that the driver returns quickly before stepping back into the car and driving away.  

Aubrey leads them inside and Stacie drops her bag by the door as she steps closer to Aubrey. Tugging down Aubrey’s headscarf, she leans in and kisses the woman as blonde hair spills free.  

Aubrey moans, kisses her back eagerly as she reaches up to pull the shawl away from Stacie’s own hair, leading her further into the house, never breaking their kiss.  

“I’ve missed you,” Stacie murmurs when they separate for air, fingers trailing up and down Aubrey’s back.  

“I’ve missed you, too,” Aubrey says with a smile, brushing the pads of her fingers across Stacie’s cheek.  

“Where are we?” Stacie asks, looking around her.  

“My house,” Aubrey says, steps away and slides her hand into Stacie’s to lead them towards the kitchen. “Water?”  

“Yes please,” Stacie says with a smile. “You live _here_?”  

“No,” Aubrey says with a soft smile, opens the refrigerator and gets them two bottles of water. “My dad bought it for me but I can’t live here. I come down for the weekend sometimes.”  

“Too far from the embassy parties?” Stacie teases and Aubrey rolls her eyes but doesn’t refute the statement. “It’s gorgeous.”  

“Thank you.”  

“But very isolated,” Stacie comments and Aubrey nods.  

“That can have its benefits,” Aubrey teases, bites her lip and Stacie’s drawn to her, reaching out and pulling her closer and Aubrey comes with a breathless chuckle.  

Aubrey kisses her but pulls away far too quickly and Stacie whines impatiently as she trails her lips down Aubrey’s jaw.  

“Do you want to see the bedroom?”  

“Is there an actual bed this time?” Stacie murmurs against her skin and Aubrey laughs loudly.  

“Yes,” Aubrey says, kissing Stacie again.  

“Then yes,” Stacie says, gasps when Aubrey fists a hand in her hair to expose more of her neck and nip at the skin there. “I think I owe you an orgasm.”  

“I didn’t know we were keeping score,” Aubrey says, moving them down the hallway as Stacie struggles with the zipper of Aubrey's dress.  

Stacie hums in response, smiling when Aubrey makes quick work of the buttons of her shirt and pushes the fabric down her arms and she lets go of Aubrey long enough to take off her shirt.  

Aubrey’s biting her lip as she reaches up and hooks her index finger around the lace between Stacie’s breasts, eyes darkening and Stacie smiles proudly but surges forwards to kiss Aubrey again as they finally stumble into the bedroom.  

“Fuck this,” Stacie grumbles after trying to unzip Aubrey’s dress again and failing, and she drops to her knees in front of the blonde and pushes up her dress, lips sliding against her thigh and hands moving upwards to pull down her underwear.  

“The bed is right there,” Aubrey tries to complain but then Stacie’s mouth is on her and she has other things to focus on.  

 

* * *

 

“It’s always so quiet here,” Stacie comments, voice still a little hoarse and Aubrey nods.  

“The nearest house is five miles away,” Aubrey says and Stacie smiles. “How did your meeting with Karim and Sayed go yesterday?”  

“It didn’t,” Stacie says and Aubrey shifts, lifts her head from Stacie’s chest to look at her.  

“What?”  

“They didn’t show,” Stacie says with a wry smile, reaching up to trail her fingers over Aubrey’s furrowed brow. “Karim is in Riyadh and I don’t even know where Sayed is.”  

“That’s frustrating,” Aubrey says and Stacie nods.  

“Especially because I can’t do anything until they give me the numbers. They want me to build them a bridge but I can’t even make estimates, and I’m stuck talking to Maha about landscaping,” Stacie says with resigned frustration.  

“Can you ask your company liaison for help?” Aubrey asks, crosses her arms and rests her head on them, closely watching Stacie with warm eyes.  

Stacie shakes her head. “The guy doesn’t even speak Arabic.”  

Aubrey grimaces but Stacie shakes her head, waves away Aubrey’s concern.  

“You should ask the Danish group for help, Jonas has a direct line to Karim,” Aubrey recommends.  

“Jonas…” Stacie says, mulls over the name as she tries to place why it sounds so familiar. “What does he do with the Danish group?”  

“I think he’s the project lead? Something pretty high up,” Aubrey says, eyes fluttering closed and sighing contentedly when Stacie softly rakes her nails down Aubrey’s back in a repeated motion.  

“How do you know Jonas?”  

“You know Jonas too,” Aubrey says, eyes fluttering open to meet Stacie’s confused gaze. “He gave me the private key at the embassy party.”  

“The bartender?” Stacie exclaims, stilling, “In the full leather get up?”  

Aubrey nods, giggles when she sees Stacie’s face of amazed disbelief.  

“That party actually happened, right? It wasn’t like a jetlag-induced fever dream, right?” Stacie says and Aubrey laughs, pulls away to lean over Stacie. 

“If it didn’t, when exactly did you think we had sex?” Aubrey prods and Stacie grins.  

“I don’t know, after I fainted maybe?” Stacie says, playing along with a teasing smile.  

“It wasn’t a fever dream, although now I’m a little concerned that you’re having hallucinations,” Aubrey comments, reaches down to brush a lock of hair away from Stacie’s face and cup her jaw, gently tilting her head so she can stare deeply into Stacie’s eyes.  

“I saw the Dutch ambassador do meth with the Canadian head of security,” Stacie says strongly. “I’m not sure if thinking it was a hallucination is better or worse.”  

Aubrey laughs and Stacie leans up to kiss her deeply.  

“That wasn’t even a really wild party,” Aubrey comments off-handedly and Stacie’s eyes go wide. “There’s a reason there aren’t beds in the private rooms anymore.”  

“Oh my god, you have to tell me,” Stacie urges when Aubrey pauses.  

Aubrey purses her lips, tries to play coy and shift away from Stacie who in response wraps her arm around Aubrey’s waist and pulls her impossibly closer, slipping a leg between Aubrey’s thighs to widen them before hooking her other leg over the blonde’s body.  

“Tell me,” Stacie urges, nipping at the skin just behind Aubrey’s ear and the blonde moans, gives in. 

“Last year there was a Belgian company in town, I think they were in charge of making the roads in K-Met, I’m not sure. Anyway, the team was only supposed to be in Jeddah for two weeks but they ended up having to stay for a year due to delays and problems, so they were understandably…”  

“Frustrated?” Stacie cuts in, relating a little bit too much.  

“Horny,” Aubrey says and Stacie pulls away from her skin to stare at her in disbelief.  

“What did they do?”  

“I wasn’t at that party,” Aubrey says preemptively, “But Elena told me that it spiralled into a 30-person orgy.”  

“Holy shit,” Stacie breathes, frozen as imaginary scenarios flit through her brain.  

“Humanity’s primal needs are fascinating,” Aubrey says, leaning in and peppering kisses along Stacie’s jaw and down her neck.  

“So taking away the beds stops that, how exactly?” Stacie teases, breath hitching when Aubrey bites down. “We still had sex in a private room.”  

Aubrey hums, flattens her tongue against the spot she’d just bitten before moving lower.  

“It doesn’t, but I can’t imagine 30 people on that cold tile must be fun,” Aubrey comments.  

“At least it’s easier to clean up,” Stacie has to concede and Aubrey laughs, forehead falling against Stacie’s collarbone as her body shakes with laughter.  

“Would you have joined that orgy?” Aubrey asks, looking up from Stacie’s chest.  

“Maybe when I was young and dumb,” Stacie comments and Aubrey tilts her head. “What?”  

“I have a hard time believing you were ever dumb,” she explains, crawls back over Stacie and kissing her firmly 

“If you had been at the embassy that weekend, would you have joined the orgy?”  

“No,” Aubrey says, hand brushing against Stacie’s thigh teasingly.  

“Why not?” Stacie asks, quickly grabbing Aubrey's hand and pulling it away, up over their heads.  

“I don’t like sharing,” Aubrey says with a grin, giggling breathlessly when Stacie easily flips them and settles on top of her.  

 

* * *

 

“Ms. Conrad?” Aubrey says, her soft smile dropping when she sees Stacie’s crestfallen expression.  

Stacie doesn’t say anything as she stands up and walks past Aubrey, waits until the door to the examination room is closed behind them to turn around.  

“Stacie—”  

“I’m leaving,” Stacie explains, tears already pooling in her eyes.  

“What?”  

“My company is pulling out of the project. Our team’s been here too long and we have clients back home that need attention,” Stacie explains, desperately wants to step closer but she knows they can’t, not here, no matter how heartbroken Aubrey looks. “I leave tomorrow.”  

“What?” Aubrey breathes and Stacie can see how hard she’s trying not to cry. “That’s so soon.”  

“I don’t want to go,” Stacie pleads brokenly but Aubrey just shakes her head. “I want to see you tonight.”  

“We can’t, it’s too risky,” Aubrey says, voice shaky.  

“Meet me at the embassy,” Stacie says strongly, but Aubrey still looks hesitant. “Aubrey, please…”  

“I thought we had more time,” Aubrey says desperately, tears finally falling and Stacie can’t stop herself when she reaches up to wipe them away. “What time?”  

Stacie breathes a sigh of relief at her words, tries not to feel too hurt when Aubrey takes a step away from her, using the edge of her loose headscarf to wipe away her tears.  

“Is nine okay?”  

“Same spot as always?” Aubrey asks, meeting Stacie’s eyes and looking like a piece of art that’s falling apart.   

Stacie nods, tries to swallow down the knot in her throat. “Same as always.”  

 

* * *

 

“Hey.”  

“Hi,” she says with a soft sigh, eyes closing at the sound of Aubrey’s voice.  

“Merry Christmas, Stacie.” 

“Merry Christmas, Aubrey.”  

“I miss you,” Aubrey whispers softly, and her voice cracks and Stacie’s chest feels tight.  

“I miss you too,” she murmurs and there’s a sniffle and she knows Aubrey’s crying.  

“How’s New York?” Aubrey asks and Stacie knows what she’s doing, why she’s asking, so she plays along.  

“Cold,” Stacie says and there’s a soft laugh. “It’s been snowing all week. They had to shut down parts of the subway.”  

“What did you do today?”  

“My parents and my baby sister are all here so I took them out for a Christmas brunch—”  

“You didn’t cook?”  

“God, no,” Stacie says. “I like them alive.”  

Aubrey laughs and it warms her heart.  

“My parents are back at their hotel until we go out for dinner and Allie is Skyping with her boyfriend.”  

“And you’re calling me,” Aubrey finishes and Stacie closes her eyes with a sigh.  

“Yeah.”  

They’re quiet for a long while, and Stacie’s concerned that Aubrey’s hung up on her but then she hears a soft sniff and she feels even worse, has to close her eyes to try to keep her tears at bay.  

“Did we make a mistake?” Stacie whispers, shifts as she curls up into herself, clutching her pillow closely.  

“I don’t know,” Aubrey breathes, voice shaky. “But I’m not going to ask you to uproot your life to move to Jeddah.”  

“And I’m not going to ask you to sacrifice your career for me,” Stacie says and they both sigh, and Stacie knows they sound like a broken record, having gone through the exact same conversation during their last frenzied meeting at the embassy.  

Morning had come too quickly and she hadn’t realised truly how deep her feelings for Aubrey were until she had to say goodbye, and now they’re stuck, thousands of miles apart with no fix in sight.  

“Do you think it would be easier if we didn’t talk on the phone all the time?”  

“No!” Stacie answers immediately, sharply, and she’s not sure if she’s protesting the sentiment or answers Aubrey’s question but the word works either way because panic grips her at the thought of ending their phone calls. “Please.”  

Aubrey breathes a sigh of relief and Stacie settles, pain still a sharp stab to the heart but feeling a little lighter knowing that Aubrey doesn’t want them to end this.  

“Doctor Posen?”  

She hears Aubrey chuckle before saying, “Ms. Conrad?”  

“I know we’ve had regular check-ups and you’ve always said I’m perfectly healthy, but it’s been three months and lately…” Stacie pauses, takes a deep breath as she closes her eyes.  

“Lately?” Aubrey urges. 

“I’ve been having really intense chest pains,” Stacie says and she hears Aubrey’s breath hitch. “I’ve lost my appetite, I have crazy insomnia, and I can’t seem to like any of the stuff I used to. What’s wrong with me, doc?”  

“You seem to be suffering from heartbreak,” Aubrey says and even though Stacie’s crying, she has to laugh at how professional Aubrey sounds when giving her diagnosis.  

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Stacie says, voice thick.  

“Can I let you in on a secret?”  

“Always.”  

“Heartbreak seems to be going around,” Aubrey whispers brokenly and Stacie closes her eyes, clenching her jaw as she brings her hand up to cover her mouth, trying to choke back a sob and she can practically feel Aubrey’s pain through the phone.  

“What are you up to tomorrow?” Stacie asks after a long silence, doesn’t want to hang up yet and trying desperately to get them to a safer topic.  

“I have to work,” Aubrey answer, voice hoarse.  

“It’s Sunday,” Stacie points out with a small frown and Aubrey lets out a soft, breathless chuckle.  

“We went away every weekend for over six months and you still forget?” Aubrey tries to tease and Stacie tears up again at the reminder of better times and Aubrey must sense that because she continues, “Our weekends are Friday and Saturday, Stacie.”  

“Right,” Stacie says quickly. “Of course I remember that,” she adds, voice awkwardly melodic and it gives away the fact that she’d completely forgotten that tiny detail.  

Aubrey laughs and it’s such a beautiful sound and she’s so weak, misses Aubrey _so much_ that she crosses their invisible line.  

“I love you,” she says and it slips out and she knows she’s made it impossible when Aubrey breathes in sharply.  

“Please don’t say that,” Aubrey begs, small voice wavering.  

“Why?” Stacie whispers, holds the phone pressed closely to her ear as she buries her face in her pillow to quiet her sobs.  

“Because that makes this worse,” Aubrey says, tries to sound strong but her voice cracks.  

“Why?” she pushes, hears Aubrey choke back a sob.  

“Because I love you too.”  

 

* * *

 

The phone rings in her hand and Stacie closes her eyes, takes three deep breaths to calm herself down before clicking accept, and in a forcibly cheery voice says, “Hey you!”  

“Hi,” Aubrey says, sounding relieved to hear Stacie’s voice.  

“How was your flight?” Stacie asks, drops down onto her couch.  

“Amazing,” Aubrey says and her voice sounds light and happy and Stacie can’t help but smile.  

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard somebody call a 14-hour flight amazing before,” Stacie says with a laugh that Aubrey echoes.  

“I flew first class,” Aubrey explains and Stacie lets out an impressed whistle.  

“Show off,” Stacie says.  

“Being a physician for the King has its perks,” Aubrey gives and Stacie rolls her eyes. “Although it does come with some extra security struggles.”  

“Did they stop you at immigration and interrogate you?” Stacie asks.  

“Yes.”  

“You poor baby,” Stacie coos and she can hear Aubrey laugh. “What time is it there?”  

Aubrey doesn’t answer straight away and Stacie can hear her breath hitch and it makes her frown. “Uhm, I’m not sure.”  

Stacie laughs softly. “It’s nice to see that a first class ticket doesn’t also prevent jetlag.”  

Before Aubrey can answer there’s a knock on her front door and Stacie frowns as she looks up at the sound.  

“Hey, hang on, there’s someone at my door,” Stacie says quickly.  

“Hurry up, I’m roaming!” Aubrey calls out but Stacie’s already pulling the phone away from her ear and pressing it against her shoulder.  

Stacie pulls open the front door and freezes at the sight.  

“If you don’t say something soon, I’m going to think you’re having a seizure of some sort and then we’ll have to go through the long list of cognitive questions again,” Aubrey says, smiling widely when Stacie’s mouth opens and shuts a few times as she tries to speak.  

“What’s your full name?”  

“Anastasia Iria Conrad.”  

“What year are we in?”  

“Your 14-hour flight to Sydney…”  

“That wasn’t the question,” Aubrey says with a grin.  

“2019.”  

“My 14-hour flight wasn’t to Sydney,” Aubrey says.  

“No, I can see that,” Stacie says, frowning as her brain tries to make sense of the situation.  

“Did I make a mistake coming here?” Aubrey whispers, tries to swallow down the sudden knot in her throat as dread settles in the pit of her stomach.  

“What?” Stacie asks, looks up at Aubrey’s face and her eyes go wide when she sees the panic there. “No!”  

Before Aubrey can react, Stacie pulls her into the apartment and yanks her up against her body, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing Aubrey deeply.  

Aubrey immediately settles against Stacie, kissing her back intensely as she drops her bag by their feet, wrapping her arms around Stacie.  

“Fuck,” Stacie mumbles. “I’ve missed you so much.”  

Aubrey pulls away with a sob and Stacie wants to wipe away her tears but Aubrey buries her face in Stacie’s neck to cry, arms tightly around the brunette’s body and Stacie holds her solidly against her own body, turns her face into Aubrey’s hair and takes a deep breath.  

“I can’t believe you’re here,” she says.  

“I love you,” Aubrey says strongly, pulling away enough to look at Stacie, who ends up crashing her lips against Aubrey’s again, swallowing Aubrey’s watery laugh.  

“I love you,” Stacie says when they part for air and she has her arms around Aubrey but she still can’t quite believe this is real. “How are you here?”  

“When I asked for your address to send you postcards?” Aubrey says, wipes away her tears with the back of her hand. 

“Yeah?”  

“Did you ever get any postcards?”  

Stacie smiles widely as she considers the words, but she shakes her head in disbelief. “I feel like I’m hallucinating again,” Stacie mumbles and Aubrey laughs, even though her brain gets stuck on the “again” part of the sentence.  

“Do you want me to have sex with you to prove that I’m real?” Aubrey teases.  

“No,” Stacie says and she smiles. “I’ve had a lot of sex dreams about you that felt very real.”  

Aubrey laughs loudly at that, and Stacie’s heart is bursting with happiness at the sight of Aubrey’s brilliant smile.  

“Can we do the list?” she asks. “Just to make sure I don’t have a head injury or that I’m dreaming?”  

Aubrey doesn’t have the heart to tell her that the checklist doesn’t work on trying to dispel hallucinations, so she plays along.  

“What season are we in?”  

“Winter.”  

“What day is it?”  

“February 16th.”  

“What day of the week is it?”  

“Saturday.”  

“How many kids does the Saudi King have?” Aubrey asks and Stacie tilts her head in confusion.  

“That’s not the—”  

“How many?” Aubrey repeats, more sternly this time.  

“So many. Like, forty?” Stacie says and Aubrey nods, her expression blank but her eyes twinkling.  

“What is my job title?”  

Stacie shakes her head in confusion at the deviations in Aubrey’s questions but she doesn’t dare fight them, is just happy to have her arms wrapped around the blonde. “Family physician to the House of Al Saud.”  

“How many of the King’s children live in the United States?”  

“I have no idea,” Stacie answers earnestly.  

“Nine,” Aubrey says. “All of them live in, or near, New York.”  

“Okay?” Stacie says, still not following.  

“What country are we in?”  

“The US.”  

“What city are we in?” 

“New York.”  

“Stacie, what city am I in?”  

“New York,” Stacie says obviously, but then her eyes go wide and her heart stops beating. “You’re in New York.”  

“Yes,” Aubrey says, smiling widely.  

“Not on vacation?” she asks, has to confirm it, needs to have the information as explicitly and as detailed as possible before she allows herself to even hope. 

“No.”  

“You’re in New York to stay?”  

It’s phrased like a question but it comes out more as a statement and before Aubrey can finish saying “yes”, she’s in Stacie’s arms again and she has to stand on the tips of her toes as Stacie hugs her tightly.  

“I love you so much,” Stacie says, words muffled and now she’s the one crying and Aubrey pulls away with a tender smile, reaching out to wipe at Stacie’s tears. “You’re here for me?”  

“Yeah,” Aubrey confirms, biting her lower lip as she runs her hand down Stacie’s arm soothingly.  

“You should have said something,” Stacie says with a soft sniffle. “I almost took a project in Jeddah for a year.”  

“That would have sucked,” Aubrey says and Stacie laughs brokenly. “I love you,” Aubrey says, reaching up to brush her thumb across Stacie’s cheek.  

“I love you too,” Stacie says, leaning into the touch. “I can’t believe I get to say that in person now.”  

Aubrey leans in and kisses her, tries to reassure her with her mouth and her hands and her body and Stacie smiles into the frantic kiss, reaching up to thread her fingers through blonde hair. Aubrey pulls away when she feels Stacie frown softly, an inquisitive expression on her face as Stacie looks at where her hand is buried in Aubrey’s hair.  

“Sorry, it’s just weird to see you without the loose headscarf,” she comments with a flicker of a smile.  

“I know, I kind of miss it,” Aubrey says.  

“Or I might be hallucinating.”  

“Again with the hallucinating,” Aubrey says, pulling away a little bit more to scrutinise Stacie closely. “Are you okay? You’re not fainting and having concussions again, are you?”  

“I’m not,” Stacie says but Aubrey hums in disbelief. “Plus, fainting in Jeddah is the best thing that ever happened to me.”  

Aubrey’s mouth drops open with incredulity, brows knitting together and Stacie can see her genuinely think that Stacie’s not all there in the head. 

“It’s where I met you,” Stacie says with a wide grin and Aubrey’s entire facial expression shifts, her cheeks flushing as she tries not to give in, tries not to smile at how stupidly happy that makes her.  

“That’s so cheesy.”  

“I know.” Stacie leans in and kisses her then. “But you still love me, right?”  

“Absolutely.”  

**Author's Note:**

> leave me comments <3


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